The Lake County Courthouse

Yesterday I was in Painesville for a visit that took me to the Lake County Courthouse.  As I’ve mentioned before, Ohio is blessed with many beautiful county courthouses, and Lake County has one of them.

Located across from Veteran’s Memorial Park in the center of Painesville, the courthouse is a magnificent structure with the inevitable clock tower, topped with an eagle, and inscriptions about the majesty of the law.  The structure was renovated recently, and it shows.  Inside on the courtroom floor are a grand hallway wide enough to host a marching band, gleaming hardwood floors, half-marble walls, beautiful wooden benches, and a fabulous skylight.

My favorite feature of the courthouse, however, are the large statues placed on either side of the staircase entrance.  Rather than the more standard historic figures or representations of blinded justice with scales and sword, the statues are of two deep-eyed, toga-clad figures, depicted as if they are just beginning to rise from a seated position.  Their entire demeanor conveys seriousness and skepticism — which is not a bad theme for a courthouse.